The Dispatch

EU, OSCE and Polish electoral commission express concern about Presidential election during Covid-19

Representatives of the European Commission and OSCE have expressed concern at the Polish government’s plans to press ahead with presidential elections scheduled in May amid the coronavirus epidemic, warning that…

Read More Here

Von der Leyen threatens Hungary with legal proceedings over new Covid-19 laws

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen threatened Hungary with legal proceedings over their new laws to slow the spread of coronavirus, in comments published on Sunday. Von der…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Easter solidarity in Koszalin, Poland

Persons dressed as the Easter Bunny delivers food during the initiative 'package to the window', organized by Stefan Romecki, in Koszalin, Poland. Easter food was delivered to needy residents to…

Read More Here

Photo Story Adapting to the times in Poland

A Catholic priest holds a cross as he rides in a horse-drawn carriage on the street as part of Easter celebrations on Good Friday during the coronavirus pandemic in Zakopane,…

Read More Here

Romania bans exports of cereals over virus crisis

Romania announced an export ban on certain cereals as part of new measures to cope with the coronavirus outbreak, national media reported. Calling it an “extremely important provision,” the country's…

Read More Here

Poland to lift some restrictions

In Poland, some measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 will be lifted after Easter, its deputy health minister has suggested. During a news conference, Waldemar Kraska, said some restrictions would…

Read More Here

“We’re going back to normality” – Czech Health Minister

The Czech Republic has effectively declared victory in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to media reports in the Central European nation's media. Health Minister Adam Vojtěch reportedly…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Nuns give a helping hand in Poland as cases increase to 5,000

Nuns of the canon of the Holy Spirit de Saxia make face masks in Krakow, Poland. The Sisters of the canon of the Holy Spirit de Saxia are making…

Read More Here

Romania to host EU stockpile of medical equipment

Romania is the first EU country that volunteered to purchase and host, on behalf of the European Union, a stockpile of ventilators, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the…

Read More Here

Czech Republic eases lockdown restrictions

The Czech Republic has become the first European country to relax its coronavirus lockdown measures, with a further loosening of the rules to come. As of Tuesday, residents were allowed to…

Read More Here

World renowned Austrian restaurant now catering for medical staff

The internationally-known restaurants Steirereck and Meierei, owned by Birgit and Heinz Reitbauer, prepare up to 1000 free meals for emergency personals, since the Austrian government has announced measures slowing down…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Holy Week during the pandemic

A clergyman carrying a cross speaks during the Way of the Cross on Palm Sunday in the center of Zakopane, Poland 05 April 2020. The procession took place without the…

Read More Here

Austria becomes the first European country to announce plans to lift its lockdown

Austria plans to reopen smaller shops from next week in its first step to loosen a lockdown that has slowed the spread of the coronavirus, as long as the public…

Read More Here

Photos: Mountains light up in Poland for anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II

The Giewont Mountain in Zakopane, in the Tatra Mountains, southern Poland, on Thursday evening, was lit up in a spectacular light show to commemorate the death of Pope John Paul…

Read More Here

App in Hungary for nurses to communicate with pregnant women and new mothers during coronavirus pandemic

An employee of the University of Debrecen Clinical Center displays a smartphone application called 'Stefania', developed for nurses to communicate remotely with pregnant women and with mothers staying at home…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Further curbs on people’s movements in Poland not ruled out

Poland may face a peak in coronavirus infections in April, government spokesman Piotr Muller told state radio on Thursday, adding that further curbs on people’s movements could not be ruled…

Read More Here

Austrian supermarkets hand out face masks

Austrian supermarkets began handing out basic face masks to largely compliant shoppers before they become compulsory next week, though there remained some confusion about the new measure and uncertainty about…

Read More Here

Coronavirus in Romania total reaches 2,460

By April 1, a total of 2,460 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed by tests in Romania, which means that 215 new patients tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Street art honours medical personnel in Warsaw

A mural reading 'Not all superheroes wear capes, Thank you!' adorns the side wall of a tenement house during the coronavirus pandemic in Warsaw, Poland. The number of confirmed coronavirus…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Hortobagy, Hungary

A picture taken with a drone shows geese and swans in the municipality of Hortobagy, Hungary, 27 February 2020. Between October and March, the geese are regular guests of the…

Read More Here

Poland should consider presidential elections postponement

Poland should consider postponing presidential elections scheduled for May 10 if health and safety conditions can't be guaranteed, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said on Monday. However he said if it was…

Read More Here

Czech Republic extends Covid-19 measures till April 11

The Czech government said on Monday it would order most shops and restaurants to stay closed and restrict people's movement until April 11, extending by 10 days measures it has…

Read More Here

Election plans in Poland amidst coronavirus pandemic cause friction

Opposition candidates for Poland’s upcoming presidential election are squabbling over how to stop the ballot because of the pandemic, but the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party isn't giving ground.…

Read More Here

Hungary introduces jail terms for spreading coronavirus misinformation

Hungary is set to pass a new law on coronavirus that includes jail terms for spreading misinformation as critics warn that the nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán could be given…

Read More Here

Lack of testing in Eastern Europe deflating ‘numbers’ of crisis

On the face of it, the map of Europe’s struggle with coronavirus suggests the prospects for the eastern half of the continent are much less grim than for the western…

Read More Here

Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki has died, aged 86

The classical world has lost one of the great composers, and Poland is mourning one of its most passionate music educators and cultural ambassadors. He was born in Dębica in…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Silesian University of Technology in Poland produces protective mask

A worker of Silesian University of Technology in the production of a protective masks by 3D printing at the Silesian University of Technology in Zabrze, southern Poland. Reports state…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Coronavirus cases in Poland increase to 1,244

A soldier of the Territorial Defence Force checks on people placed in quarantine, during the coronavirus pandemic in Jaroslaw, south-eastern Poland, 27 March 2020. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases…

Read More Here

Romanian Health minister resigns as healthcare system faces meltdown

Romania’s health minister Victor Costache resigned on Thursday, prime minister Ludovic Orban announced in a press statement. The resignation comes in the middle of the biggest medical crisis Romania…

Read More Here

Hungary imposes lockdown, predicts coronavirus peak by July

Hungary is imposing a two-week lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, which is expected to peak in the country in June or July, Prime Minister Viktor Orban…

Read More Here

Coronavirus cases in Poland increase to 1,085

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Poland increased to 1,085, the Ministry of Health said on 26 March morning. To date, 15 people have died in Poland from the…

Read More Here

Romania full lockdown

A Romanian armed soldier that wears a surgical mask and protection gloves guards a large intersection from his Humvee military vehicle in central Bucharest, Romania, 25 March 2020. Romania on…

Read More Here

Wizz Air halts operations on three Romanian airports

Wizz Air, the biggest airline in Romania by number of passengers transported, announced that it would suspend all operations from its local bases in Timisoara, Craiova and Sibiu, from March…

Read More Here

Number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Romania continues to grow, eight dead

The number of confirmed Covid-19 infection cases in Romania has reached 762, according to data released by the Strategic Communication Group on Tuesday, March 24, at 13:00. In the last hours, the…

Read More Here

Polish government launches a Minecraft server for housebound kids

In an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, Poland has shut its schools until at least April 10. While online classes are widespread, there's still the problem of keeping…

Read More Here

Face masks sent to Italy from China end up in the Czech Republic

Thousands of face masks sent by China for Italy's beleaguered hospitals have ended up in the Czech Republic in an apparent cross-border imbroglio as Europe, now the epicentre of the…

Read More Here

Poland may impose more curbs on citizens

Poland may impose further constraints on citizens to prevent the spread of coronavirus given the likelihood of a sharp increase in the number of infections this week, senior government officials…

Read More Here

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases exceeds 3,000 in Austria

The amount of people in Austria with confirmed cases of coronavirus crossed the 3,000 mark on Sunday, the Ministry of Health has announced. Compared with figures from Saturday, this is…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Bieszczady Mountains, Poland

An aerial view of a snow-covered pier at the Solina Lake in the Bieszczady Mountains, south-eastern Poland. Photo: EPA-EFE/DAREK DELMANOWICZ

Read More Here

Poland declares ‘state of epidemic’

Poland is moving into a "state of epidemic" — which gives central and regional governments greater powers to deal with a crisis — Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced at a press…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Military patrols in the streets of Hungary

A soldier and an MP patrol in the main square of Debrecen, Hungary, 20 March 2020. The patrol is deployed to keep up public safety and order during the time…

Read More Here

Austrian ski town suspected as source of coronavirus across Europe

Politico reports that Tyrolean village of Ischgl in Austria may have been the main source of the outbreak of coronavirus in Europe. Health authorities across Scandinavia have traced several hundred…

Read More Here

€38 billion relief plan announced by Austria

Austria will spend up to 38 billion euros to secure jobs and keep companies afloat, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Wednesday, joining other European countries providing more funds to limit…

Read More Here

Rape survivors hold fashion show in clothes they were wearing during assaults

A fashion show in Warsaw (prior to the Covid-19 restrictions) was held, during which rape survivors took to the catwalk in the clothes they were wearing when they were assaulted.…

Read More Here

Hungary to shut borders, preparing fiscal, monetary response to coronavirus

Hungary will close its borders, postpone cultural and sports events and take fiscal and monetary steps to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said…

Read More Here

Polish government and Lot Polish airlines organising repatriation operation

In the wake of suspended air connections to and from abroad, the Polish government in cooperation with the state flag carrier LOT Airlines are organising special charter flights to various…

Read More Here

Polish chemist reported to have made breakthrough discovery in CoVid19 treatment

A Polish chemist from the Wrocław University of Technology, Prof. Maciej Drąg and his team of researchers, together with their counterparts at Lubeck University in Germany have made a breakthrough…

Read More Here

Austria limits people’s movement nationwide

The Austrian government is limiting people’s movement nationwide. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Sunday that there should be only three reasons for people to leave home: essential work, essential purchases such…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Polana, Poland

An aerial view of snow-covered the Bieszczady Mountains in the village of Polana, southeastern Poland. EPA-EFE/DAREK DELMANOWICZ

Read More Here

Obuda Danubia Orchestra performs concert without audience due to coronavirus crisis

Hungarian maestro Mate Hamori conducts the Obuda Danubia Orchestra's Kurtag/Haydn/Dvorak concert without audience at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary, on the evening of the 13 March…

Read More Here

Poland shuts borders

We decided to introduce an epidemic emergency. We introduce full controls on all Polish borders. " Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced. In addition to this, Polish citizens will be directed to…

Read More Here

Czech Republic to lockdown country’s borders as of Monday

The Czech government will be banning foreigners entering the country and Czechs travelling abroad as of Monday, in an attempt to curb the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said…

Read More Here

Head of Polish public television dismissed

Poland’s National Media Council has announced it recalled Jacek Kurski from the post of president of Telewizja Polska SA (TVP), the country’s public television. Shortly before the announcement, the country’s…

Read More Here

Romanian government in quarantine after coronavirus contact

Romania’s interim government is self-isolating for 14 days after a senator tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Vergil Chitac was in parliament in recent days while right-wing parties were trying…

Read More Here

Czech Republic introduces controls on German, Austrian borders

The Czech Republic is introducing controls on its borders with Germany and Austria and banning crossings away from official frontier border posts to help fight the spread of the coronavirus,…

Read More Here

First death from coronavirus in Poland

A 57-year-old woman infected with coronavirus was reported dead on Thursday. The news was reported by the deputy mayor of the western city of Poznań on Thursday noon. The…

Read More Here

Austria reports first coronavirus death

A 69-year-old man has died in Vienna after contracting the new coronavirus, Austria’s first death in the rapidly spreading epidemic, city authorities said on Thursday. Austria has confirmed 302 cases…

Read More Here